Early in his career Wendell Berry wrote for the Whole Earth Catalog (motto: “Access to tools.” Later: “Stay hungry, stay foolish”). Steve Jobs considered the Whole Earth Catalog to be a “conceptual forerunner to Google”. It was a catalog of sustainable products and information sources. And it was the product of two of my hippie heroes: Stewart Brand and Kevin Kelly.
This week, Stewart Brand talked about the dangers of underpopulation.
Kevin Kelly talked about the Shirkey principle, which states that institutions can become so dedicated to the problem they are the solution to, that often they inadvertently perpetuate the problem. He uses the example of unions, and their codependency with management. His conclusion is brilliant – relevant to the food discussion, concern for the poor, and more:
In a strong sense we are defined by the problems we are solving. Yin/Yang, problem/solution, both sides form one unit. Because of the Shirky Principle, which says that every entity tends to prolong the problem it is solving, progress sometimes demands that we let go of problems. We can then look to marginal solutions and ask ourselves, what marginal problem is this solving that might be a more appreciated problem later on?